Strip printing mechanism



A ril 2, 1957 R a YOUNG 2,787,201

STRIP PRINTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR April 2, 1957 R. B. YOUNG 2,787,201

STRIP PRINTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Unite This invention relates to a strip printing mechanism.

The invention is more particularly concerned with a device or mechanism for printing display lines of type for use by lithographers, offset printers, screen printers, letter shops, artists, advertising agencies, etc.

While devices have heretofore been provided for the above noted purpose they failed to fulfill the maximum requirements in the printing operations thereof which was due for the most part to undue complexity of construction and lack of case and accuracy in the manipulations thereof during the printing operation.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a strip printing mechanism which is relatively simple in construction, dependable in use, easy to use, and of maximum efi'iciency in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent in the course of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a desirable form of box with which the strip printing mechanism is operatively associated.

Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the printing mechanism with the cooperating elements thereof in separated relation for a clearer visionof the forms thereof.

Fig. 3 is an isometric view corresponding to Fig. 2 but wherein the cooperating elements are shown in operative position.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 is mounted in the top plate ll of a box 11 which is light-tight for protection of the photo-paper later referred to until same is used. The mechanism comprises an elongated base casting 12 which includes a pair of forward solid upright members 13 and a rear inverted U-shaped upright member 14 all of which members are in spaced parallel relation. The upright members 13 are of like formation and are relatively narrow while the upright member 14 is of substantially greater width considered longitudinally of the base casting.

The upright members 13 and 14 are each provided with a pair of tapped apertures 15 for receiving the threaded ends of bolts extended through the top plate 10 for securing the casting thereto.

The said upright members 13 are provided with longigitudinally aligned recesses 16 while the member 14 is provided with a substantially wider recess 17 which is longitudinally aligned with the recesses 16. A shutter is supported on the said upright members 13, 14 and same comprises a rear section 18 of T-form in plan, the stem 19 of which is disposed in the recess 17 in spaced relation to the bottom thereof while the head 20 of which is seated in recesses 21 and is rigidly secured to the upright member 14 by bolts extended through apertures 22 in said head as well as aligned apertures 23 in a pair of gaskets 24 disposed between the head and the bottoms of said recesses 21v It is here to be observed that the head 20 is'also in spaced relation to the bottom of re- 2,787,201 Patented Apr. 2, 1957 ice cess 17. The shutter further comprises a forward movable section 25 which is disposed in the horizontal plane of the rear fixed section 18 and which is disposed in the recesses 16 in spaced relation to the bottoms thereof. The section 25 is of rectangular form with a pair of laterally aligned ears 26 projecting from the opposite edges thereof. The ears 26 are provided with apertures 27 at their outer ends. A pair of lugs 28 are secured to the base casting 12 adjacent the rear end thereof as by means of bolts 29 and said lugs are provided with apertures 3th in which are received the rear ends of a pair of coil springs 31 whose forward ends are received within the apertures 27 in the ears 26 and which springs normally maintain the shutter sections 18 and 25 in contact on the line 32.

The forwardmost upright member 13 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced horizontal apertures 33 in which are rigidly disposed corresponding ends of a pair of pins 34 whose opposite end portions project into the space between the two upright members 13. A clamp structure is provided and same includes a pair of tubular members 35 which are supported on the projecting ends of said pins for movement axially thereof. An open rectangular bracket 36 projects upwardly from said tubular members 35 and is rigidly secured to the members and a horizontal rectangular pressure plate 37 is rigidly sup ported by the lower transverse portion of the bracket.

As is indicated in Fig. 3, the movable shutter section 25 extends over the pressure plate 37 and the foremost end of such shutter section is curved downwardly as indicated at 38.

The clamp structure further includes a horizontal rectangular clamp plate 39 which is disposed above the pressure plate 37 and which is provided with a pair of laterally spaced vertical pins ill which are slidably disposed in recesses disposed in the bottom of the uppermost horizontal portion of the bracket 36 for vertical movement of the clamp plate in constant vertical alignment with the pressure plate 3'7.

The clamp plate 39 is normally maintained in vertically spaced relation to the pressure plate 37 by means of a generally rectangular wire spring 41 which includes an elongated portion 42 having a coil 43 intermediate the ends thereof and a pair of laterally opposed end portions 4-4.

A pin 45 extends through the coil 43 and into an aperture as in the lower horizontal portion of the bracket 36 for retaining the spring in position and the ends 44 of the spring extend into laterally opposed apertures 47 in the opposite edges of the clamp plate 3'9.

The bracket 36 preferably comprises a pair of like sections lin which are maintained in parallel and slightly spaced relation by means of the tubular member 35 and a pair of connecting webs 36 and an eccentric 453 is disposed between the upper portions of said bracket sections 36 and pivotally secured thereto by a pin 49 and said eccentric is provided with an operating handle St).

The spring 4i holds the clamp plate 39 in contact with the eccentric 48 and the clamp plate is lowered by the eccentric against the action of the spring.

A bracket 51 is secured to one side of the base casting 12 intermediate the upright member 14 and the adjacent upright member 13 and an elongated lever 52 is pivotally connected to said bracket adjacent one end thereof as by means of a pin 53.

A padded table 54 is pivotally connected to the lever 52 at a point intermediate the pivot pin 53 and the opposite end thereof as by means of a pin 55 whereby the weight of the table will normally swing the lever about the pivot 53 with a resulting depressed position of the table.

The said lever 52 is manually moved about the pivot 53 for elevating the table 54 by means of a push button 56 projecting through the top plate 10 of the box 11. A switch 57 is preferably disposed within the box 11 which is in circuit with a lamp which is supported above the top plate and the lever 52 is preferably provided with a switch operating extension 59 whereby the lamp 58 is lighted when the table 54 is in raised position.

A glass plate 61 is supported in an opening in the top plate It) as by means of a frame 61 and the glass plate is provided with a letter indexing line 62 which is normally disposed vertically above the contacting line 32 of the fixed and movable shutter sections 13 and 25.

Having set forth the preferred structure of the printing mechanism, the operation thereof is as follows:

A roll of strip photo-paper is mounted on the bottom of the top plate 10 and same is threaded through the recesses 16 and i7 beneath the shutters 18, 25 and advanced to a position over the pressure plate 37. A roll of alphabet film F is mounted in the bottom of the box 11 and same passes outwardly of the box to a position above the top plate it). The said alphabet tape is then threaded through a slot 64 in the top plate 18* and extends over the shutter 18, 25 and through the clamp structure whereafter it is threaded through a second slot 65 in the top plate and extends outwardly thereof.

Thus it will be seen that the strip of photo-paper is disposed beneath the shutter while the alphabet strip is disposed above the shutter and both strips together with the interposed movable shutter section 25 extend through the clamp structure or between the pressure plate 37 and the clamp plate 39. With the photo strip and the alphabet tape thus positioned, the forward edge of the letter or symbol on the alphabet tape to be printed on the photo strip is brought to the indexing line 62 which is preferably etched into the glass plate so, and which indexing line is in vertical alignment with the separating line 32 between the shutter sections 13, 25. The lever 56 is then moved to rotate the cars 48 whereby the clamp plate 39 is forced downwardly with a resulting clamping of the photo-strip, alphabet tape and the interposed movable shutter section 25. After the clamping action the clamp structure which in effect provides a transport means is bodily moved toward the foremost upright member 13 a distance to bring the rear edge of the said letter or symbol past the indexing line 62.

in such movement of the clamp structure or transport means the shutter section 25 will be moved away from the fixed shutter section 18 whereby the alphabet film and photo strip will have been simultaneously advanced a distance substantially equal to the width of the letter or symbol to be printed. While the clamp structure is retained in its advanced position, the push button 56 is forced downwardlly with a resulting movement of the lever 52 whereby the padded table 54 is moved upwardly to bring the photo strip and the alphabet film into close contact against the viewing glass plate 60 and simultaneously therewith the switch 57 is operated with a resulting turning on of the lamp 58 for making the exposure. The time of exposure is controlled by the time interval the push button 56 is held depressed.

While the push button 56 is being held depressed in the printing of a letter or symbol, the lever 50 is actuated to release the clamp plate 3 whereby upon release of the push button 56 the movable shutter section 25 will be automatically returned to its normal position by means of the springs 3i. The operation as above described is then repeated.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbefore set forth, it is to be expressly understood that the same is not to be limited to the details or construction and arrangement of the parts as illustrated and described because various modifications may be developed in putting the invention into practice within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. Mechanism for successively printing display symbols on a strip of photo paper, comprising a light-tight housing having a top wall, a viewing and light transmitting opening in said top wall, a lamp supported by said housing and disposed above said opening, a fixed shutter section disposed in said housing in parallel relation to said top wall, a movable shutter section in said housing in the plane of said fixed shutter, said shutter sections having normally abutting edges disposed beneath said opening, means for guiding a symbol bearing tape into engagement with the upper faces of said shutter sections, means for guiding a strip of photo paper beneath said shutter sections, clamp means through which said movable shutter section, symbol tape, and photo paper strip extend, said clamp means being movable longitudinally of said tape and strip, whereby upon closing said clamp means and moving same away from said fixed shutter section, the movable shutter section, symbol tape and photo strip are advanced to expose a symbol on said tape to said strip, and means for lighting said lamp for photographing said symbol onto said strip.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said opening is provided with a glass panel having an indexing line thereon parallel with and vertically above said abutting edges of said fixed and movable shutter sections.

3. The structure according to claim 1, together with spring means engaged with said shutter sections for normally holding said edges in abutment.

4. The structure according to claim 1, together with a vertically movable table disposed within said housing, and adapted to engage said photo strip and press same into contact with said symbol tape in the gap provided by movement of the movable shutter section away from the fixed shutter section, a lever pivotally supported within said housing and to which said table is pivoted, manually operable means accessible from above said top wall for rocking said lever about its pivotal support, and switch means for said lamp operable by said lever when said table is in its photo strip engaging position.

5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said clamp means comprises an open rectangular bracket, a pressure plate rigid with the lower portion of the bracket and over which said movable shutter section extends, a vertically movable clamp plate supported by the upper portion of said bracket, spring means normally holding said clamp plate in elevated position, and manually operable cam means supported by said bracket and reacting on said clamp plate for urging same downward toward said pressure plate.

6. Mechanism for successively printing display symbols on a strip of photo paper, comprising a light-tight box having a top plate, a viewing and light transmitting opening in said top plate, a lamp supported by said top plate and being disposed above said opening, a casting disposed beneath said top plate and secured thereto, a fixed shutter section secured to said casting in parallel relation to said top plate and having an edge disposed below said opening, a second shutter section movably disposed on said casting in co-planar relation to said fixed section and having an edge normally engaged with said first edge, means for guiding a symbol bearing tape into engagement with the upper faces of said shutter sections, means for guiding a photo-strip below said shutter sections, a clamp means supported by said casting for bodily movement longitudinally of said tape and said strip, said movable shutter section, tape, and strip extending into said clamping means whereby upon clamping of said tape, strip and movable shutter section and bodily movement of the clamping means a space of substantially the width of a symbol will exist between said shutter section edges, and manually operable means for lighting said lamp for photography of a symbol on said tape and in said space on said photo strip.

7. The structure according to claim 6 wherein said manually operable means comprises a push button supported by said top plate, a lever pivotally supported by said casting and being engageable at one side of the pivot by said push button, a switch for said lamp, and switch operating means on said lever at the opposite side of said pivot.

8. The structure according to claim 7 together with a vertically m vable table disposed beneath said shutter sections in vertical alignment with said opening, said table having a pivotal cenncc being movable into position be tion edges for pressing the photo strip into engagement with the symbol bearing tape.

9. The structure accerding to claim 6 wherein said casting is provided with a pair of guide pins and said clamp means having a pair of tubniar members slidably supported on said rods.

ti n with said lever and een said shutter sec No references cited. 

